Watching from the Shadows
by Vamphire
Summary: It started with a glance.  But with a blink, he was...gone.  And he felt scared that he would never see him again, to get the chance to touch him, to hold him tightly against him.


**Title:** Watching from the Shadows - a "Harry Potter" fanfiction

**Alternative Title:** "Hatred"

**Originally Written:** August 9, 2010 at 00:10

**Pairing:** one-sided Draco Malfoy x Harry Potter

**Disclaimer:** Original Story and Characters Copyrighted by J. K. Rowling

**Warnings:** Slight hints of shounen-ai, but limited to friendship.

* * *

It started with a glance.

He had developed a strange fascination of the clueless brunet that day in the cloak shop, intrigued by his strange questions. Clueless, though he looked like someone of worthy blood; he thought, maybe they could be friends?...

But, that notion was shot down instantly when they met again on the staircase in Hogwarts. His outstretched hand, his offer - _rejected_.

Hurt by the not-so-subtle insult, he retaliated. A month passed and he found himself entangled in a feud with the boy he had wanted to befriend. _Still_ wanted to befriend.

The problem was, the boy he had wanted as a friend now saw him as an enemy.

He could only continue on, fighting in petty squabbles over insignificant things. A glass ball, a dragonet, a spell on the class idiot...

But the fighting kept escalating as he watched, horrified by the level the once insignificant squabbles transformed into brawling duels. Their rivalry rekindled the old hatred between their Houses, causing the occasional skirmish to break out between their House members.

Yet the main battles were still fought between him and his wishful "friend."

* * *

A year passed, and the feelings of hurt had slightly faded. He tried his best to ignore the other boy, but he kept drawing attention to himself, capturing his interest, his entire attention focused on _him_.

He had enjoyed some of the panic of the school - it gave him an excuse to avoid the brunet as he wandered the school, circulating the fear in the air. It made him feel less lonely, knowing that others were suffering as well - not a mature outlook on the situation, but he was a _twelve_-year-old with a year-old heartache - though not from the same cause.

He still entertained some hopes that maybe, just maybe the brunet liked him back. Maybe they could be friends sometime...soon?

But he had his hopes shattered during the first Dueling Club meeting. It was...scary...

He had summoned the snake as Professor Snape had told him to, smug that he had executed the spell correctly - only to watch in horror as a _hiss_ing noise escaped his lips. A _Parselmouth_.

Actually, he could deal with the other boy's ability to speak to snakes. He just could not handle the blatant hostile action the brunet took against him that day.

He had been petrified, his smirk frozen on his lips as he watched a _hiss_ing brunet stand behind the swaying snake - a snake poised to strike him.

He was relieved when his professor dismissed the summon with a flick of his wand and a _poof_ of smoke.

So he left the Great Hall, shaken by his experience. And as he replayed that moment again and again in his mind - something changed inside him.

* * *

He did not realize the change in himself until halfway through their third year. His revenge on the giant's hippogriff had not been satisfying, so he had stretched out the little parody he had enacted on the first day in Hogwarts.

He managed to convince his two _dunderhead_ minions to play along. Grabbing three hooded long, black robes, the four had made their way to the noisy field.

He had tried to scare him, unbalance him enough to lose the match. Instead, he had ended up being attacked by a warm feeling, one that left his limbs weak from the bittersweet happiness that soon faded.

He had forgotten what it was like to be happy, _truly_ happy, before that moment. In a flash of clarity, he had remembered what he had forgotten.

_An extended hand. A hopeful feeling welling up in his heart._

So he faded into the background, watching as his previous actions kept affecting the present...the future. He pretended glee at the upcoming death of the magical creature - but inside he felt hollow, unable to justify the death of an innocent beast.

He was glad when he heard that the bird escaped - no doubt because of that troublesome brunet.

* * *

But he had to harden his heart against the cruel arrows the brunet threw at him. In his eyes, they were bitter archrivals, foes, the worst of enemies. They were the infamous pair - just not in the way he wished it to be.

He released his hurt and frustration in little maneuvers designed to irritate the short-tempered brunet (not that he wasn't either). Little badges, rallying people for the other brunet - though he would never measure up to _him_ - though in his heart he wished he could support the other openly. A wish that he could be relied upon and relying back upon _him_ as friends, always together...

But with a blink, he was..._gone._

So it was with his second glance that he saw him missing. _Missing_. From a closed plant maze no less.

And he felt scared.

Scared that he would never see him again, to get the chance to touch him, hold him tightly against him as he would relish in the fact that he was his _friend_.

At last.

But he only returned - a dead body in tow - badly shaken by what he had seen. Trembling hands hung in the air next to the wobbling body.

He was soon taken from his sight, to be treated by Professor Moody.

He sighed with relief - he would be safe.

But the experience taught him that just like a glance started their relationship, another could result in him being _torn_ away from him. Forever.

Resolved, he waited to talk to him. _A word_, he called out.

_That's two._

_Very funny_. He arched an eyebrow before taking a step towards him on the moving train, the faint _clunk-clunk_ of the wheels on the tracks echoing the rhythm of his heart.

He reached out, grabbing a shoulder before pulling him in for a hug.

_Hey, what's the big deal?_ The body in his arms squirmed, arms waving to try to free themselves.

He tightened his grip, pressing their bodies closer together before burying his face into his shoulder.

_Don't leave me. Don't ever leave me alone again...without you._

* * *

_**Story References:**_

_(each book is divided from the other by a break until the fourth book)_

_Sorcerer's Stone:__ Remembrall / Norbet the Dragon(et) / Full Body-Bind Curse on Neville_

_Chamber of Secrets:__ The Chamber of Secrets and the petrifications / "Setting" the snake on Justin Finch-Fletchley (Not Malfoy)_

_Prisoner of Azkaban:__ Inquiry on Buckbeak / Harry fainting on train-ride to Hogwarts / Impersonation of dementors during Quidditch match / Attack by Patronus / "Execution" of Buckbeak_

_Goblet of Fire:__ Pro-Cedric Badges / Harry Teleported to Graveyard / Cedric Dead / Cornering Harry from his trip to the Bathroom (Actually in "Order of the Phoenix")_

* * *

_Authoress's Note: Before I get scolded - I know this is not strictly canon-material, as much as I'd wish it is. I did not have my books with me, so I might have exaggerated some of the scenes, such as Draco thinking Harry was telling the snake to "attack" him._

_I need references to write good stories. When I write online, I use the internet all the time to make sure what I am writing is as accurate as possible. In this case, I was missing the book series for reference._

* * *

_Actually, I was writing this secretly at night (note the midnight time), so I was close to passing out by the time I reached the end of this story. If I had more time, I would have written it through all seven years of the canon - too bad._

_And before I am asked, I usually don't touch pre-written material because my story-writing mind frame changes all the time. If I edit the ending, the last half of the story would not match the first half._


End file.
